Water drainage blade for paper machine



May 8, 1956 A. P. WAGENKNECHT 2,744,454

I WATER DRAINAGE BLADE FOR PAPER MACHINE Filed June 6, 1955 IN V EN TOR.

2,744,454 7 WATER DRAINAGE BLADE FOR PAPElR MACHINE Arthur P. Wagenknecht, Thompsonville, Conn.

Application June 6, 1955, Serial No. 513,429

Claims. (Cl. 92-51) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in paper making machines and is directed more particularly to a water drainage blade construction for the Fourdrinier wire of a paper machine.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision of a novel blade construction for disposition beneath the moving Wire of a Fourdrinier paper making machine for the drainage of water from the bottom of the Wire.

The novel blade of the invention is adapted for use in lieu of the well known table roll of a paper making machine. A plurality of the blades of this invention may be used with a plurality of table rolls, if desired.

Where table rolls are used in the normal manner in a paper machine, water is removed by one roll and a portion of the water so removed is taken on by the following roll. This is objectionable as web formation is more or less disrupted and the water removed is likely to be or" a different hue or color than that in the stock wherefor the returned water imparts to the underside of the sheet a color diiferout than that of the upper side of said sheet.

Drainage blades of the invention may be used in lieu of all the table rolls of a paper machine or in lieu of some of said table rolls depending upon the characteristics of the paper stock, sheet to be produced and other variables but the blade in general has numerous advantages over a table roll.

By means of the blade, water is removed from the bottom of the wire more efficiently than with table rolls wherefor improved drainage results.

A less number of blades than table rolls are required for a certain machine to obtain superior drainage. Further the cost of the less number of blades is less than that of the greater number of table rolls so as to eifect favorably the overall cost of a paper machine. Also the useful life of a Fourdrinier wire is greater in running over blades of the invention than over table rolls due to decreased Wear of the wire.

Speed of production of the paper machine using blades of the invention is considerably increased over a machine using table rolls due to eflicient water drainage. In cer tain machines, wire speeds have been increased thirty percent and more and as an example in a paper machine where the wire speed was one thousand feet per minute the speed has been increased to thirteen hundred feet by use of the blade of the invention.

Increase of wire speeds has been accomplished without increasing the wear of the wire. There is less wear of the wire at the higher speeds than at the lower speeds where table rolls are used and this is accounted for by the fact that while superior drainage is accomplished a thin film of water between the blade and wire functions as a lubricant.

As one feature of the invention, the blade is formed from non-metallic material wherefor there is no metal to metal contact between the blade and wire which contributes to long life of the Wire. Suitable material for nited States Patent 0 2,744,454 Patented May 8, 1956 the blade has beenfound to be plastic of the laminated type which may incorporate fabric or fibrous material.

With the above primary objects in view, it is another object of my invention to provide a construction of the above described character in which the number of operating parts is greatly reduced, which is compact and which is practical in its'value, reliable in its operation, and efiicient in its use.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the same will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated a complete example of a physical embodiment of the invention in which the parts are combined and arranged in accordance with one mode which I have devised for the practical application of the principles of the invention.

It will however be understood that changes and alterations are contemplated and may be made in these exemplifying drawings and mechanical structures, within the scope of the claims, without departing from the principles of the invention.

All of the above cited objects, I accomplish by means of such structure andrelative arrangement of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To these above and other ends, various other and ancillary features and advantages and objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain features of novelty, in a mode of operation, and in the combination, organization, and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevational view showing a breast roll, side support and drainage blades thereon as related to the Fourdrinier wire;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of drainage blade construction of the invention;

Fig. '3 is an end elevational view of the drainage blade construction shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of thebearn of the drainage blade construction shown in Fig. 2.

In the following description and claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience. These names however are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit. 7

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures and referring more particularly to the preferred form of my invention selected for illus trative purposes, I have shown in Fig. l, a breast roll of a Fourdrinier paper making machine which is represented by B and a Fourdrinier wire running in the direction of the arrow is represented by W. A side rail is represented by R, there being a pair of such rails transversely spaced and are usually arranged for supporting the bearings for the ends of table rolls at opposite sides of the wire. Drainage blades of the invention are represented by 2. The components are indicated diagrammatically for purpose of disclosure. 7

The drainage blade construction 2 in a general way includes an elongated drainage blade 4 carried by an elongated supporting beam 6 having end extensions 3 which are adjustable up and down in saddles 10 that are adjustably mounted on base members 12 which are secured to the side rails R.

The base members 12 at opposite ends of the blade construction may be secured to the rails R in any suitable 3 manner as by bolts 14. Relatively spaced threaded studs 16 have lower ends secured in the base-members 12 and extend upwardly therefrom.

Bushings 18 are freely rotatable on the studs, are externally threaded and in threaded engagement with lower plates 20 of the saddles 10. Lock nuts 22 are in threaded engagement with upper ends of the studs 16 for binding the bushings to the plates 20 against rotation.

Spaced side flanges 24 extend upwardly from the plates 29 of the saddles and receive therebetween the end extensions S. Said extensions are preferably tubular in form and carry vertically extending keys 26 on one side thereof which are slidable up and down in keyways 28 provided in one of the flanges 24.

Jack screws such as '30 are in threaded engagement with the lower walls 32 of the extensions 8. Lower ends of the jack screws 30 bear on the plates 20 and lock nuts 33 are provided on the screws30 to hold them against turning as they bind on the lower walls 32.

Set screws 34 are in threaded engagement with one of the side ribs 36 of the saddles 10 for binding against the extensions 8.

The supporting beam 6 in transverse cross section is preferably of channel shape for strength and rigidity, as shown in Fig. 4. Inner ends of the extensions 8 are disposed in opposite ends of the beam 6 and said beam and extensions are rigidly secured together by suitable means such as screws 36'.

The blade 4 is provided with a flat horizontal upper face 40, a forward edge 42 andwith a forward face 44 declining downwardly and rearwardly from the edge 42. An elongated rear portion 46 of the blade 4 is secured to the beam 6 as by screws such as 48.

The base members 12 are secured to the rails R so that the blade construction extends beneath the wire W and transversely thereof.

It is desired and necessary that the apparatus be adjustcd so that the upper face 40 of the blade 4 be related properly to the wire that is parallel with the wire.

To facilitate the desired relationship of the blade and wire the extensions 8 may be adjusted up or down by the jack screws 30 and the adjustment secured by the lock nuts 33. The saddles 10 may be adjusted by the bushings 1S and the adjustment secured by the lock nuts 22 on the studs 16.

The blade 4 will preferably be formed from non-metallic material such as laminated plastic which may incorporate fabric or fibrous material as may be desired.

The structure will be adjusted to position the upper face of the blade in parallelism with the moving wire W. The

forward edge of the blade 4 is arranged to remove water from the bottom of the wire and direct it downwardly and away from the wire so that water is not taken on by the wire again as with table rolls. There will be a very thin film of water across the blade which acts as a-lubricant wherefore with the blade being formed from non-metallic material wear of the wire is obviated.

Water removal is more efficient than with table rolls so that wire speeds may be increased appreciably with less wear of the wire than with table rolls.

All of the table rolls of a paper machine may be replaced with drainage blades of the invention in which case machine costs are reduced. Or drainage blades may be disposed between table rolls for improved water drainage.

The transverse width of the face of the blade may be varied and the number of blades and spacing thereof may be varied depending upon the stock on the wire, characteristics of sheet being formed and the speed of wire it is desired to attain.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. Drainage blade construction for the Fourdrinier wire of a paper machine having supports at opposite sides of the wire comprising, base members for securing to said supports, saddle members adjustably mounted on said base members provided with relatively spaced flanges, an elongated support having opposite end extensions between the flanges of saddle members, means for securing said end extensions in adjusted positions between said flanges, an elongated blade formed from non-metallic material secured to said support having an upper face for underlying said wire and a forward face.

2. Drainage blade construction set forth in claim 1 wherein the forward face of said blade is provided with an edge substantially perpendicular to the upper face of the blade and a face portion declining downwardly away from the said edge.

3. Drainage blade construction set forth in claim 1 wherein said support includes an elongated member of channel shape in cross section and said end portions are of tubular cross section secured in the ends of said member.

4. Drainage blade construction for the Fourdrinier wire of a paper machine having supports at opposite sides of the wire comprising, base members for securing to the supports, an elongated water drainage blade having opposite end extensions, saddle members adjustably mounted on said base members and arranged to receive the end extensions of said blade, means for adjusting the end extensions of said blade up and down in said saddles, said blade having an upperface for underlying a wire and having a forward edge and a forward face declining downwardly from the forward edge.

5. Drainage blade construction for the Fourdrinier wire of a paper machine having supports at opposite sides of the wirecomprising, an elongated blade structure having end extensions at opposite ends thereof and an upper longieluding cooperating members to secure an end extension of saidblade structure to its respective base member in adjusted positions to position the upper face of said blade structure substantially horizontally beneath the wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,630,027 Reedy et a1 May 24, 1927 2,042,198 Swauger May 26, 1936 2,487,202 Wadleigh Nov. 8, 1949 it. a 

